-Analysis-
PARIS – An old and deadly conflict has resurfaced amid a time of deep global upheaval. In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Goma — the capital of North Kivu province and home to one million people — has fallen into the hands of M23 rebels. The takeover Monday triggered widespread panic and a massive exodus of civilian refugees.
This portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo contains countless rebel movements. What stands out about the M23 is the increasingly active support provided by neighboring Rwanda, which maintains troops on Congolese soil totaling between 3,000 and 4,000 men.
This involvement by a neighbor, which is documented in United Nations reports and now openly condemned by France among a handful of other countries — raises what is happening in Goma to the level of an international crisis.
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The M23 has been active in the area the past, briefly taking Goma for the first time in 2012 before pulling out under international pressure. The group has been on the offensive since 2021, and launched a lightning assault on Goma last week. In a matter of days, the Congolese army collapsed, and UN peacekeepers stationed there were unable to hold back the rebels, losing about a dozen of their own soldiers in the process.
Historical context, mineral riches
Since then, diplomatic efforts have been in full swing to extinguish the fire and prevent further escalation.
To understand the roots of this conflict, one has to go back to the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. After the victory of the forces of Paul Kagame — a leader who is still at the helm of Rwanda today — the Rwandan genocide perpertrators fled into the Democratic Republic of Congo. This marked the beginning of a brutal confrontation in this lawless region, where the Congolese state holds even less sway than in other parts of the country.
Adding to the complexity is the fact that this region harbors among the world’s most desired minerals, like coltan and tungsten, crucial for the digital tools people use nowadays, along with electric batteries and solar panels. Congolese officials accuse Rwanda of seizing its mineral wealth through the M23. Just a few months ago, the government of Kinshasa went so far as to sue Apple for using minerals mined illegally from this region..
Global omen
Everyone knows that Rwanda is directly involved in this war against its neighbor, yet nothing is happening. Even the resolution adopted on Sunday by the Security Council doesn’t explicitly mention Rwanda.
Among the reasons for doing nothing is that the memory of the genocide of Rwandans is still raw: it remains hard to cast a former victim in the role of aggressor.
France, which has only recently achieved its own painful rapprochement with Rwanda, had stayed clear of the topic altogether. On Sunday, during the UN Security Council meeting, France’s ambassador pointed clearly to “the active support of the Rwandan defense forces” behind Goma’s seizure.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to have as little regard as possible for Africa in general, no time ever setting foot there during his first term. All of this removes pressure on Rwandan leader Kagame, and perhaps the new administration in Washington had signaled that the offensive could take place with a guarantee of impunity.
African countries are trying mediation, with Kenya so far trying in vain to bring together Rwandan President Kagame and his Congolese counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi. Angola has also conducted several rounds of mediation, but without success. The international community is particularly powerless in the face of a crisis that threatens to escalate with its dramatic human cost. It’s yet another omen on the map of global chaos.
